Metal Concentrations in Natural Soils

Introduction

There are beginning to be more requests for the testing of “heavy metals” in the soil. The high cost of food is causing people to plant their own gardens or turn to “community gardens” to raise their own food. With more people looking at organic growing of these foods there is a concern over other elements in the soil that may affect these plants. In the following table is a list of metals, their chemical symbol, the common range and the average concentrations found in soils. If the results of your soil test report levels are near the average concentration, there is normally not a problem. If the results of your test indicate levels that are significantly higher than the average concentration then this should be looked into more deeply. It should be noted that some of these elements are not of major concern, and that testing of some can be very expensive. Contact a local extension agent, county health department, to help provide you with more information on what the results.

Metal Concentrations in the Soil
Element Symbol Common Range
(ppm or mg/kg)
Average Concentration
(ppm or mg/kg)
Aluminum Al 10,000-300,000 71,000
Antimony Sb 2-10 not available
Arsenic As 1-50 5
Barium Ba 100-3,000 430
Beryllium Be 0.1-40 6
Boron B 2-100 10
Bromine Br 1-10 5
Cadmium Cd 0.01-0.7 0.06
Cesium Cs 0.3-25 6
Chlorine Cl 20-900 100
Chromium Cr 1-1,000 100
Cobalt Co 1-40 8
Copper Cu 2-100 30
Fluorine F 10-4,000 200
Gallium Ga 0.4-300 30
Gold Au not available 1
Iodine I 0.1-40 5
Lanthanum La 1-5,000 30
Lead Pb 2-200 10
Lithium Li 5-200 20
Magnesium Mg 600-6,000 5,000
Manganese Mn 20-3,000 600
Mercury Hg 0.01-0.3 0.03
Molybdenum Mo 0.2-5 2
Nickel Ni 5-500 40
Radium Ra 8 × 10-5 not available
Rubidium Rb 5-500 10
Selenium Se 0.1-2 0.3
Silver Ag 0.01-5 0.05
Strontium Sr 50-1,000 200
Thallium Tl not available 5
Tin Sn 2-200 10
Tungsten W not available 1
Uranium U 0.9-9 1
Vanadium V 20-500 100
Yttrium Y 25-250 50
Zinc Zn 100-300 50
Zirconium Zr 60-2,000 300
Source: USEPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response,
Hazardous Waste Land Treatment, SW-874 (April 1983, page 273
 
library/articles/metal_concentrations_in_natural_soils.txt · Last modified: 2010/04/29 16:24 by bill